


So, It's a bit of a Mystery

by Sunshining5



Category: Teen Titans (Animated Series), Teen Titans - All Media Types
Genre: Friendship, Solidarity at least, can be seen as shippy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-12
Updated: 2020-04-12
Packaged: 2021-03-01 23:14:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,752
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23615056
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sunshining5/pseuds/Sunshining5
Summary: Okay, it’s obvious she’s not human.She has ashen gray skin that never changes tone, no matter how long they train outdoors or how long she meditates on the roof. She has what looks like naturally violet eyes.But he has no proof.
Relationships: Dick Grayson & Raven, Dick Grayson/Raven
Comments: 2
Kudos: 56





	So, It's a bit of a Mystery

Okay, it’s obvious she’s not human.

She has ashen gray skin that never changes tone, no matter how long they train outdoors or how long she meditates on the roof. She has what looks like naturally violet eyes. 

But he has no proof.

He asks Cyborg about his suspicions. It takes a blow to his pride to ask for advice, but he figures the technology Cyborg has could give him more insight into this matter. 

“I’ve been meaning to tell you, man,” Cyborg says, “I’ve scanned her multiple times, but my computers don’t know. Whatever she is, it probably isn’t a race known to earth.” 

This statement is very concerning.

Not that where she’s from would really be a problem. It’s just that Robin knows she’s hiding it from the team, which doesn’t particularly scream _trustworthy._ She always deflects even the simplest questions about her heritage, no matter who asks. The Batman shaped part of his brain is telling him Raven shouldn’t be trusted. Still, he’s giving her a couple weeks to settle down and get comfortable. After all, it’s only been a short while since the team was official. Maybe she’s just not quite ready to confess yet.

Starfire walking into the kitchen breaks his train of thought, “Robin, what do you wish to do for training today?” 

“Hey Star, we’re just going to mess around a bit in the gym today. Mind getting the others for me?”

A nod, and then she flies off, her hair nearly whipping his face.

At the training room, Robin tells his team just to start by warming up. He really is excited to see all of them in action, fighting crime. Jump City’s needed a team of heroes for a while now.

He’d be lying if he said he only joined the team because it was the right thing to do. This was his chance to prove himself, show _himself_ (and certain father figures) that he was able to lead a team of heroes. And leading meant that no mistake could be made. No skipping training, no cutting corners, and no misplaced trust in certain non-human heroes. 

By which, of course, he meant Raven. Beast Boy has been chatting with her for a while now. Beast boy isn’t training right now, due to an injury he got from almost falling _off the Titan’s roof._ Robin is still confused on how he even did that. He hopes Beast Boy won’t be so clumsy in battle. For now though, he makes pleasant small talk with his new coworker. 

Raven’s voice has changed since she first met the team. In the beginning, she sounded almost foreign, but not an accent from any country Robin could identify. Like Starfire, colloquialisms hardly made any sense, and sometimes, usually in the heat of battle, she couldn’t even find the words to express herself. Since the Teen Titans formed, Raven rapidly accumulated a more American accent and she had picked up some common slang. Robin thinks she's studied up on language after their first meeting. She sounds more confident.

But now she shys away, voice curling unnaturally around the syllables. She doesn’t seem completely comfortable around Beast Boy, at least less so than the others on the team. Perhaps because Beast Boy is very _excitable._ He really wants to be a part of this team. Maybe he’s looking for a replacement, instead of the Doom Patrol. Maybe he’s just enthusiastic. 

He’s been staring over at them for too long. Raven makes eye contact with him. He looks away, and they both try to pretend like they didn’t see each other.

Robin turns away from Raven and to the training equipment. After working out for a couple minutes, his eyes are drawn back to his team. 

He finds himself analyzing Jump City’s heroes. Cyborg’s a tank, with his advanced machine guns and rockets, Starfire’s star bolts are full of somewhat confusing powerful alien energy, Beast Boy is quick, able to change shape at a moments notice, and Raven’s magic… is _unusual,_ to say the least.

She’s a total asset in fights, her magic being so powerful. But Robin’s never seen anything like it. 

She’s told them she has abilities of telepathy, teleportation, and shielding, like force fields, but he can tell she hasn’t completely explained the extent of her powers. Perhaps they’re too dangerous to show off. 

Even now her vantablack force fields send shivers down his spine. Robin remembers the first time he’d seen her magic. The pure black force field that popped up and stood between him and, although he did not know her name yet, Starfire. He was almost touching the shield but had jumped back quickly. The magic was like ice, chilled him down to the core, sucking out all the heat from his body. He thought he would get used to it, but he hasn’t yet.

On the day of their first meeting, he remembers that she said they, meaning him, Cyborg, and Beast Boy, wouldn’t want her around if they knew who she really was.

He wonders what that could have meant, and if he should have listened. 

Robin still could kick her off the team, he thinks. It would be hard to convince the others, especially since he wouldn't have much of a reason to do so. Other than “she’s secretive and probably not human”, anyway.

Then again, it might be easier than expected, since she also hasn’t grown close to anyone on the team. Cyborg and Beast Boy became fast friends after a long discussion over video games, and it’s impossible for anyone not to be friends with Starfire. Raven, however, hides away in her bedroom, decidedly not getting to know her teammates. She never lets anyone go into her bedroom. That screams suspicious. From what he’s seen from peering in her doorway, the room is dark, with deep purple walls, and old, musty books. 

Everyone has invited her to join them in whatever activities they’re doing, but Raven almost always rejects them. Rather be reading than socializing. That shouldn’t put him on edge, but it does somewhat. Why doesn’t she want to get to know her teammates?

She still trains them though, Robin’s never had to force anyone to train. Which is good, he could never lead a lazy team.

“Alright, guys,” Robin says, “We’re trying something new today. Pick a sparring partner. You’ll be fighting against them today.” 

Wide eyes glance at him in surprise. Usually training consists of working out, hitting punching bags or dummies. But Robin thinks they’re all ready to do this. It's an effective exercise drill for heroes, and makes them learn new fighting strategies and styles. 

If he had to guess, Starfire and Cyborg would pair up due to their super strength. Then, Beast Boy and Raven would because…

...He remembers that Beast Boy is injured, and he couldn’t possibly fight. So, Robin, although he was planning to sit this one out and observe, would have to spar with Raven. 

Oh. 

That’s fine! It’s fine! Raven shyly walks over towards him and Robin thinks she looks very uncomfortable at the prospect of having to spar him, which is worrying, since everyone else on the team seems excited at the idea. 

She looks nervous, but he bets he does as well. Starfire and Cyborg go first. Robin forgets to watch how well they do. He got a bad feeling about this, which doesn’t make sense because he isn’t _scared_ of her. Is he? What a terrible time to realize, honestly.

All eyes focused on them, Raven and Robin step up to the plate. There’s no pre-battle banter; it’s deadly silent. They simultaneously revert to their fighting stances, and wait for the other to strike first. Robin, impatient as ever, decides to bite the bullet and lunges forward, hand curled into a hard fist. Raven dodges and goes for a low kick. The battle progresses, and they dance around the other’s desperate attempt to win. Robin is definitely better at hand-to-hand combat, but Raven makes good use of her powers, shielding his blows. 

Robin also notices she only uses her power while on the defensive. Half of him is annoyed that she isn’t fully committed and is trying to go easy on him. The other half is maybe thankful she is.

He decides to use this to his advantage. Moves to the offensive to make her use her magic. And as she does so, taking the briefest second to control her power and conjure a force field, Robin attacks. 

He slams into her, knocking towards the ground so very forcefully. He wins the match, and then feels the slightest bit of guilt for doing so. She doesn’t look hurt, but her cloak covers most of her body, so it’s difficult to really say. He stalks over to her, head bowed in apology. Raven’s turned away from him. Robin touches her shoulder. She turns to look at him. 

Her eyes… she definitely has more of them than usual. There are several, mounted high on her forehead, they are a crimson shade of blood red. They pierce his soul, root around in his mind, and take note of his hidden fears. They analyze his thoughts, relishing the terror they inflict. Raven (if _it_ can be called that now?) smiles wide and wilder than Robin could imagine. Her sharpened teeth croon down at him, mocking the horror he’s experiencing. Black tentacles seep out from under her skin. It’s terrifying, horrific. Robin flinches back, brain barely working. 

Raven flinches too.

She pushes away from him, still on the ground. Even though it could have taken only a second, Robin sees her change in slow motion. She reverts, transforms back to the Raven he knows. Raven looks more scared than Robin feels, terrified with whatever she was. She looks up at him, violet eyes brimming with apologies. Robin wants to say something, but he is frozen, mind racing, heart beating, and can’t push the words out from his throat. They stare at one another momentary.

Raven leaves. Pulls her cloak around her body, teleporting out of the room. Robin keeps staring. Cyborg runs over and asks him what’s happening. They couldn’t see from where they were standing, apparently. Robin barely listens.

So, there’s Robin’s proof Raven’s not human. He could tell the others, he could get her kicked off the team. He could do anything.

However, his newfound curiosity gets the best of him.

He’s a detective at heart, and she’s quite the mystery.

**Author's Note:**

> i used one (1) semicolon. feeling like a real professional; it's super cool. (look another semicolon!!)


End file.
